Focus on recruiting young talent

On Saturday, 9 August 2025 at 12 noon, the sail training ship "Gorch Fock" will leave its home port of Kiel for a very special voyage, a late summer voyage, as part of the 187th/188th foreign training voyage. On Tuesday, 5 August 2025, the ship will move to Sartorikai and take part in events related to the Ocean Race Europe. The following Friday, the "Gorch Fock" will set sail on a day trip.

This foreign training voyage of the "Gorch Fock" is unique: it combines maritime tradition, social proximity and training with innovative forms of recruiting young talent - and creates numerous opportunities for citizens to experience the German Navy's sail training ship up close.On Wednesday and Thursday, 6 and 7 August 2025, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., the population of the state capital will have the opportunity to visit the ship at the Open Ship. A highlight will follow on 9 August 2025 with the ceremonial departure accompanied by music from the Naval Music Corps - a moving moment to which the people of Kiel are cordially invited. A departure that has not been seen in this form for a long time.Recruiting young talent is at the centre of this training trip. Right at the beginning, 30 young people will take a seat on board as part of the Bundeswehr Discovery Days and accompany the "Gorch Fock" from Kiel to Bremerhaven, where the ship will take part in "Sail 2025" and be visited by the Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The journey then continues to Amsterdam, where the ship will take part in both the Sail and the 750th anniversary of the city. In this context, 60 young people will come on board as part of the project "Meer. Gorch Fock. Experience." project and will sail to Wilhelmshaven, where the ship will once again be used to recruit young people together with units from Flotilla 2.In Edinburgh, 75 officer cadets from the specialised military service will go on board - experienced soldiers who will complete intensive maritime training on the "Gorch Fock" for the first time. The ship will arrive in Flensburg on 14 September 2025. There, the navy will take part in an open ship at the Mürwik Naval Academy and on the "Gorch Fock" itself to mark "Memorial Day". This special voyage will conclude with the arrival in Kiel on 16 September 2025.